Floral development genes

Abstract

This invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid fragment encoding floral development proteins, more specifically FT, TFL or Ap3 homologs. The invention also relates to the construction of a recombinant DNA construct encoding all or a portion of the floral development proteins, in sense or antisense orientation, wherein expression of the recombinant DNA construct results in production of altered levels of the FT, TFL or Ap3 homologs in a transformed host cell.

1 . An isolated polynucleotide comprising: 
 (a) a first nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having FT ot TFL homolog activity, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 26, 28, 30, 34, 36, 40, 42, 44, 54, 56, 58, or 60, have at least 80% sequence identity based on the Clustal alignment method, or    (b) a second nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having FT or TFL homolog activity, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 22, 24, 32, or 38, have at least 85% sequence identity based on the Clustal alignment method, or    (c) a third nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having Ap3 homolog activity, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:50, has at least 90% sequence identity based on the Clustal alignment method, or    (d) a fourth nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having FT or TFL homolog activity, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:20, has at least 95% sequence identity based on the Clustal alignment method, or    (e) a fifth nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having Ap3 homolog activity, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:46, or 48, have at least 95% sequence identity based on the Clustal alignment method, or    (f) the complement of the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth, nucleotide sequence, wherein the complement and the nucleotide sequence contain the same number of nucleotides and are 100% complementary.    
     
     
         2 . The polynucleotide of  claim 1 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 26, 28, 30, 34, 36, 40, 42, 44, 54, 56, 58, or 60, have at least 85% identity based on the Clustal alignment method.  
     
     
         3 . The polynucleotide of  claim 1 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 54, 56, 58, or 60, have at least 90% identity based on the Clustal alignment method.  
     
     
         4 . The polynucleotide of  claim 1 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 50, 54, 56, 58, or 60 have at least 95% identity based on the Clustal alignment method.  
     
     
         5 . The polynucleotide of  claim 1 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 54, 56, 58, or 60.  
     
     
         6 . The polynucleotide of  claim 1  wherein the nucleotide sequence comprises the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47, 49, 53, 55, 57, 59, 63, 64, 65, 66 or 67.  
     
     
         7 . A vector comprising the polynucleotide of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         8 . A recombinant DNA construct comprising the polynucleotide of  claim 1  operably linked to a regulatory sequence.  
     
     
         9 . A method for transforming a cell, comprising transforming a cell with the polynucleotide of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         10 . A cell comprising the recombinant DNA construct of  claim 8 .  
     
     
         11 . A method for producing a plant comprising transforming a plant cell with the polynucleotide of  claim 1  and regenerating a plant from the transformed plant cell.  
     
     
         12 . A plant comprising the recombinant DNA construct of  claim 8 .  
     
     
         13 . A seed comprising the recombinant DNA construct of  claim 8 .  
     
     
         14 . An isolated polynucleotide comprising a first nucleotide sequence, wherein the first nucleotide sequence contains at least 30 nucleotides, and wherein the first nucleotide sequence is comprised by another polynucleotide, wherein the other polynucleotide includes: 
 (a) a second nucleotide sequence, wherein the second nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having FT homolog activity, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 26, 28, 30, 34, 36, 40, 42, 44, 54, 56, 58, or 60, having at least 80% sequence identity based on the Clustal alignment method, or    (b) a third nucleotide sequence, wherein the third nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having FT homolog activity, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 22, 24, 32, or 38, having at least 85% sequence identity based on the Clustal alignment method, or    (c) a fourth nucleotide sequence, wherein the fourth nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having Ap3 homolog activity, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:50 has at least 90% sequence identity based on the Clustal alignment method, or    (d) a fifth nucleotide sequence, wherein the fifth nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having FT homolog activity, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:20 has at least 95% sequence identity based on the Clustal alignment method, or    (e) a sixth nucleotide sequence, wherein the sixth nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having Ap3 homolog activity, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:46, or 48, has at least 95% sequence identity based on the Clustal alignment method, or    (f) the complement of the second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth nucleotide sequence, wherein the complement and the second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth nucleotide sequence contain the came number of nucleotides and are 100% complementary.    
     
     
         15 . An isolated polypeptide having FT or Ap3 homolog activity, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 26, 28, 30, 34, 36, 40, 42, 44, 54, 56, 58, or 60, have at least 80% identity based on the Clustal alignment method.  
     
     
         16 . The polypeptide of  claim 15 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 54, 56, 58, or 60, have at least 85% identity based on the Clustal alignment method.  
     
     
         17 . The polypeptide of  claim 15 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 50, 54, 56, 58, or 60 have at least 90% identity based on the Clustal alignment method.  
     
     
         18 . The polypeptide of  claim 15 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 54, 56, 58, or 60 have at least 95% identity based on the Clustal alignment method.  
     
     
         19 . The polypeptide of  claim 15 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 54, 56, 58, or 60.  
     
     
         20 . A method for isolating a polypeptide encoded by the polynucleotide of  claim 1  comprising isolating the polypeptide from a cell containing a recombinant DNA construct comprising the polynucleotide operably linked to a regulatory sequence.